Hall County government officials should put the finishing touches on the refurbishment of the county's public safety center with a vote Thursday to pay for an upgrade to the computer aided dispatch (CAD) system.
At a work session Monday afternoon, Hall County Emergency Management Director David Kimbrell outlined for commissioners the work that has taken place so far at the facility.
"First thing we did was remodel the physical facilities there...by adding new furniture and new flooring, new air conditioning system inside the 911 center," Kimbrell said. "The phone system update has been completed...they've been on that phone system now since we've moved back into the dispatch center. The radio system you awarded a couple of months ago is in progress now."
The upgrade to the CAD system is the "final overall step" to the project, Kimbrell said. The current CAD is eight years old.
All of the $13 million project has been financed by proceeds from SPLOST VII. The new software, equipment and support for the CAD upgrade will cost just over $2.5 million.
After the work session, Kimbrell commented further on the final part of the project, saying that the bottom line for county residents will be enhanced safety.
"It's [the system] going to be able to find you better if you call 911, it's going to be a more reliable system to get the help to you as needed," Kimbrell said. "Think about your cell phone from eight or 10 years ago - think about all the new features and how much nicer it is now - it's much more useable."
Kimbrell said there's still some time before all of the new systems are in place at the 911 center. The new radio system is in the engineering process at Motorola in Illinois, which will take another nine months, he said. The CAD system will take a year to 14 months to bring online.
Meeting time changed for July 28 voting session
Usually, the Hall County Board of Commissioners meets at 6 p.m. for scheduled voting sessions. This week, however, the board will meet at 9 a.m. on July 28 at the Government Center on Browns Bridge Road in Gainesville.
